US 4,374,655 AGranted

Humidity controller

AssigneeLockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.

InventorsPhilomena Grodzka, Paul O. McCormick, James W. Fletcher

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Abstract

A humidity controller (12) for an outdoor storage container (10) is installed with a clearance fit in an apertured portion of a vertical wall (11) of the container (10). The humidity controller (12) comprises a frame assembly (13) to which a bed of solid desiccant material (14) and a transparent cover (15) are secured. Solar energy incident upon the transparent cover (15) is transmitted into a passageway between the bed of desiccant material (14) and the transparent cover (15), thereby heating air in the passageway and also heating a surface of the bed of desiccant material (14) exposed to the air in the passageway. Moisture adsorbed on bed of desiccant material (14) is vaporized by the solar energy, thereby establishing a concentration gradient for moisture in the bed of desiccant material (14) such that moisture is drawn toward the passageway for vaporization. Lower and upper valves 25 and 26, respectively, provide a natural convection current whereby cooler ambient air is drawn into the passageway and the solar heated moisture-laden air in the passageway is passed to the environment outside the container (10).

Claims16

Dependent claims

A humidity controller for installation in an apertured portion of a wall of a storage container, said humidity controller comprising:

(a) a frame assembly insertable into said apertured portion of said wall, said frame assembly being securable to said wall;
(b) a bed of solid desiccant material for removing moisture from said container, said bed of desiccant material being positioned by said frame assembly inside said container when said frame assembly is inserted into said apertured portion of said wall;
(c) a cover that is substantially transparent to solar energy, said transparent cover being positioned by said frame assembly apart from said bed of desiccant material and overlying said apertured portion of said wall when said frame assembly is inserted into said apertured portion of said wall, a passageway thereby being formed between said transparent cover and said bed of desiccant material, air in said passageway and a surface portion of said bed of desiccant material exposed to said air in said passageway being heated by solar energy transmitted through said transparent cover, heating of said surface portion of said bed of desiccant material causing moisture to pass from said bed of desiccant material into said passageway, said heated air in said passageway thereby becoming moisture-laden;
and
(d) valve means attached to said frame assembly for enabling removal of said moisture-laden heated air from said passageway by convection.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.